Committees

Challenging, engaging, and most of all an unforgettable experience. ..

SCSY 2018's committees are . . .

THE HEART OF SCSY. WITH A 5:1 DELEGATE TO CHAIR RATIO, METICULOUSLY DETAILED TOPIC GUIDES AND CRISIS MAPS, AND SOME OF THE SMARTEST STUDENTS IN THE WORLD, COMMITTEES TAKE DEBATE TO A NEW LEVEL. THIS YEAR, SCSY PROMISES MORE COMMITTEES AND MORE FUN THAN EVER.

Ad Hoc Committee

The Ad-Hoc Committee of the Secretary-General is a fast paced and intense committee intended for experienced delegates. To prepare for this committee, delegates should familiarize themselves with pre-modern nautical law. The exact topic of the committee, however, will be confidential until shortly before the conference, forcing delegates to think on their feet. Delegates will be expected to adapt quickly to a multitude of different crises. Ultimately, the goal for the Ad-Hoc Committee is to be one of SCSY's most challenging and exciting committees.

ASEAN 2080

In the year 2080, the region is devastated by record-high monsoons, flooding, and tsunamis.. The continuous climatic changes have interfered with the region’s economic development, as well as an associated capacity to adapt. In order to prevent the staggering deaths, displacement and domestic governance issues related to climate refugeeS and social unrest, ASEAN will have to work tirelessly to create measures for emergency response and long-term prevention and development. In this committee, delegates must consider the intersectional nature of socio-economic development and the responsibilities of climate change management. This committee will attempt to revive the Indonesian and Malaysian economy by providing economic plans that will shift their economies away from palm oil production to a more sustainable industry, in addition to proposing solutions on environmental restoration and equitable resource distribution.

ASEAN: North Korean Nuclearization

Threats of another World War. Tangled alliances. Countries in fear of one leader. Of one country. More than 70 years after its founding as North Korea, the country’s history of global isolation and international embitterment has manifested in its expansion of nuclear arms. Kim Jong-un’s regime decorated by a legacy of military concentration, internal security, accusations of Human Rights abuses, and deplorable standards of life has propagated hostility and threatened international security. With its expanding arsenal of nuclear weapons, North Korea demands the attention of nations to prioritize their security and compromise on maintaining global peace. The North Korean Nuclear Crisis committee will discuss cooperation among nations to explore and analyze ways to respond to North Korea’s growing militarization and nuclear actions for the existence of mankind and all who may depend on it.

The Avengers

The year is 2100 and aliens have invaded planet Earth! They have come to steal all of earth’s resources and return to Planet Knowhere. Unfortunately, the aliens do not speak our language and it is virtually impossible to communicate. World leaders have come together to try and appease the aliens before earth’s resources are depleted. After realizing they do not have the strength to fight this invasion alone, they have called on the help of the Avengers. The Avengers must now join forces with world governments to defeat the aliens and save the human race!

Biotechnology Business and Ethics

The Committee on Biotechnology Business and Ethics serves as a forum for debate on the most cutting-edge and relevant issues of our time. As new technologies emerge that push the boundaries of what we know to be possible, how do we decide what is “right” and what is “wrong”? How much control should corporations have over such technologies, and how much should governments regulate these industries? As scientists get closer to perfecting innovations such as cloning, gene editing, stem cell therapy, and more, how will daily life be affected? How will they change how economies work, how governments make decisions, and how war is waged? Delegates will represent a variety of small companies, large corporations, and regulatory agencies. They will have to balance their competing interests, from maximizing profits with corporate mergers and alliances to preventing apocalyptic environmental consequences.

Biowarfare

As tensions heighten between the U.S. and North Korea, Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un has unveiled their newest tactic: biowarfare. The US government has received intel that 4 inbound passenger planes have been contaminated by a new, aggressive virus strain, genetically engineered by North Korean scientists. The virus seems to have been converted to a weaponized aerosol. The fatality rate is currently unclear, but some passengers are already showing symptoms. How will the U.S. government prevent the spread of the highly infectious disease? How will they develop a treatment/cure? How will international organizations contribute to or react against the US response? Will the US military respond to this act of war? Will you be able to save the country?

Cleopatra's War Council

The topic of human rights violations for corporate and business purposes emanates from the beginning of human history. From the Pharaohs using slave labour to build pyramids; to the Russian oil oligarchs, for all intents and purposes, enslaving the weakest social classes in the erstwhile Soviet Union; to the more modern sweatshop labour in South and South-East Asia where persons and compelled to work in slavish conditions for practically no pay; corporate human right abuses have been innumerable. The motive is rather simple. All corporations desire success, by gaining consumers and maximising profits. To capture the market, they must provide goods and services at a large scale, at low prices. But with increasing regulation and fair standards requirements in the developed world, the need to seek alternative sources of cheap materials and labour increases as well. Many work within the framework of humanity and outcompete their fellow corporations through better research and technology, while some seek the easy solution, turning their powerful gaze towards emerging markets whose labour and human capital they may exploit with far fewer restrictions.

Coachella Board of Directors

The October 2018 meeting of the Coachella Board of Directors at Yale University will convene the music festival’s leadership and invited guests to discuss the music festival’s past success and potential for the future. Delegates in this committee will reflect on the 2018 event, including its lineup, attendance, and marketing and plan the 2019 event, confronting issues of diversity, security, and competition in the process. Get your flower crowns and flash tattoos ready.

Fashion: LVMH Board of Directors

LVMH is one of the world's largest luxury goods conglomerates. With subsidiaries that span the wine, spirits, fashion, and cosmetics industries, the company constantly faces pressure to carve out a space in the market for each brand while forming a cohesive unit as a whole. In this fantasy committee, delegates will serve on the board of directors, navigating the market and creating a corporate strategy for the coming year. In the era of fast fashion, streetwear, and anti-elitism, how can they not only survive, but emerge the best and the strongest?

Feudal Japan

1592. Invasion of the Korean peninsula. While initial Japanese advancements in Korea were swift, Ming China has sent their own forces to help Joseon Korea. Talented Korean naval commanders and guerrilla forces bog down Japanese troops. Domestically, the issue of succession looms as well. Hideyoshi, aging and increasingly infirm, appointed his nephew Hidetsugu as his heir and as Imperial Regent in 1591. However, Hideyoshi's wife has recently given birth to a baby boy, who will no doubt become the new heir to Hideyoshi. This has already begun to deteriorate relations between Hideyoshi and his nephew. Above all this, daimyo around the land wait, and watch. After Hideyoshi's inevitable death, who will rule the land?

Harry Potter: Voldemort's Return

The searing pain and angry black, inflamed Mark are unmistakable signs. The Dark Lord has returned. In the aftermath of the Triwizard Tournament, you, a Death Eater branded with the symbol of your supposedly undying servitude, have difficult choices to make. Do you serve faithfully alongside the Dark Lord as he plots to infiltrate the Ministry of Magic, dealing with that pesky Potter and his equally insufferable allies? Or have your allegiances changed since the First Wizarding War? This committee isn’t for the faint-hearted Muggle—prepare to enter a wizarding world full of deceit, double agents, and Dark Magic as we see if love or darkness prevails.

Joint Crisis Committee: Game of Thrones - The North

As tensions in King’s Landing and the North intensify, the Game of Thrones JCC’s Committee of the North convenes to decide on matters of life and death. Stannis and his army have lost in the battle against the Boltons. Jon Snow has recently woken up after the mutiny. The future of many powerful positions are more unstable than ever – from Lord Commander of the Night's Watch to Warden of Winterfell to the person on the Iron throne. At the same time, the threat of White Walkers, wights, and the Night King continues to grow. Thus, important figures at Winterfell, Castle Black, and North of the Wall will put aside their differences—or magnify those differences—as they vie for political power, military force, and familial honor.

Joint Crisis Committee: Game of Thrones - King's Landing

*Spoiler alert!* With the Sparrows dominating the order of King’s Landing, the entire Lannister and Tyrell families seem to have fallen in power. Cersei has taken her walk of atonement, Joffrey and Myrcella have been murdered, and Margaery and Loras have been put under the Sparrows’ custody. On top of it all, rumours of the birth of three dragons – the first in thousands of years – have finally reached Westeros. As tensions intensify in the Red Keep, unrest brews in the North, and the distant threat of the Targaryen girl challenges life in Westeros as we know it, your deliberations as the Game of Thrones JCC’S Committee of the South will determine who takes over the Iron Throne, and who lives to see it.

Joint Crisis Committee: Democratic National Convention 2020

At the Democratic National Convention (DNC 2020), delegates will convene to choose a nominee from among the many contenders (delegates will represent various possible contenders for the party’s nomination). Problems in need of particular attention are our healthcare system, quality of life for everyday Americans, and civil rights. Beyond that, this DNC will focus on how to respond to the Trump era -- focusing on how we can unite the party to move forward. This DNC will be rife with corruption, scandal, and controversy -- delegates should be prepared to debate, to deflect, and to defend themselves (and our country).

Joint Crisis Committee: Republican National Convention 2020

At the Republican National Convention (RNC 2020), delegates will convene to choose a nominee from among the many contenders (delegates will represent various possible contenders for the party’s nomination). Delegates should be prepared to debate, to deflect, and to defend themselves (and our country).

Joint Crisis Committee: Russia vs Ukraine

This simulation covers hypothetical future developments in the ongoing war between pro-Russian separatists and the Ukrainian government in eastern Ukraine, set against a background of weakened economies, rising internal discontent, and uncertain future development. Delegates will take the role of members of high-level Kremlin and Ukrainian security-policy councils as they attempt to navigate the vicissitudes of the situation on the ground while working towards a stable, favorable resolution to the war. Delegates will contend with the multifaceted nature and unique challenges of modern geopolitical conflict and the Kremlin’s “Gerasimov Doctrine,” including cyber-warfare, political-influence and disinformation campaigns, and the use of paramilitary proxies, in addition to more traditional diplomatic, military, and economic approaches to power-projection.

Military Special Forces

The Special Elite Military Forces Committee will tie together the major special forces teams from all around the world with global-counter terrorism efforts. Through a discussion of civilian-military relations and the interaction that special force teams have upon civilians, this committee will explore the legality behind secret special forces missions. Representing the heads of state of those countries with special elite forces as well as the leaders of the world's most special elite forces, delegates will interact with other nations that have similar or different goals, in hopes of best representing their respective nation, while juggling the threat of global-counter terrorism. Either by working with each other or undermining each other, each representative of the committee will have to decide how to respond to the crises of terrorism around the world through secret military action, normal military deployment, a combination of the two, or a more peaceful resolution. Through diplomatic relations and military operations, representatives will attempt to maintain global peace in the face of global-counter terrorism.

Rio Olympics

As Rio de Janeiro prepares to host the 2016 Summer Olympic Games, the world's eyes are watching Brazil's every accomplishment, every slip-up, and every scandal. From the Zika Virus to lacking infrastructure to potential presidential impeachment, the 2016 Games have the international community and Brazil's own population questioning the future of the Olympics as a whole. The city of Rio is a huge construction site. There are large anti-Olympics protest coalitions building up all around the country. Fewer than 50 days before the Olympics were stated to start, Rio declared a "state of public calamity." Can Rio pull off a successful Olympics? Or will the entire ordeal be an international embarrassment?

In July 1956, Egyptian ruler, Gamal Abdel Nasser, nationalized the Suez Canal. Taking private ownership of the waterway connecting the Mediterranean and Red sea, Nasser economically legitimized Egypt — much to the chagrin of the United Kingdom, France, and Israel. The Balkanization of Eurasia and the Middle East in the mid-1950s exacerbated the preexisting Russo-American Cold War tensions and threatened to bring on an international war. This is a committee about power — who holds it, how best to wield it, and how to seize it. This committee will consist of the major power players of the Suez Crisis, from Egypt and France, to Russia and the U.S.A.

Syrian Crisis

As the Assad regime continues to buckle under the pressure of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria as well as United States-backed Kurdish forces, millions of refugees have flooded out of the country using any means necessary to reach safe haven in surrounding nations and Europe. Many Syrians have lost their lives as the nations that have been forced to absorb them struggle to provide the displaced population with homes and vital resources. Several questions remain: how can the war at root of the conflict be resolved? How can the problems caused by this mass displacement be mitigated? And, how can the Syrians begin to rebuild their country? Adopt the roles of the various forces which are entangled in Syria’s internal and external politics, make alliances, and vye for the interests of your country or organization. Will you come to an agreement?